To be a Rocket
by Rocket-grunt007
Summary: Cal has wanted to be a Pokemon trainer his entire life, but unfortunately his parents never let him. Now he is eighteen and ready to go to college, but what happens when a visit to the popular game corner franchise lands him an offer to get his very own Pokemon? There's only one catch, he has to join team rocket. Rated T to be safe in future chapters.
1. Chapter 1: off to college

Chapter 1

i don't own Pokemon, only my OC's.

A/N: I've noticed that I lose about half the viewers after this chapter but not a single one lost from any of the other chapters. Don't let this first chapter be your impression of the story. Give me at least 3 chapters and I think you'll love it. Thanks.

A/N: Hey everyone, this is my first story here on fanfiction so if you could help me out by giving me some reviews then that would be great. Don't worry, this first chapter is just an intro, any Pokemon or team rocket stuff will probably be at the end of next chapter which I already have almost completely written so just bare with me. Anyways, here's chapter 1.

Today's the day I turn eighteen. After being raised by my parents all of my life today is the day I finally move out on my own. I've always wanted to be a Pokemon trainer since I was young, but my parents drilled it into me that I can't because it would disgrace my family or some nonsense like that. Instead they sent me to school where I graduated top in my class in every subject, including the study of Pokemon. Now my parents expect me to enroll into a collage to become some scientist or lawyer or doctor that will bring fame to the family's name.. But I don't want to do any of those things.. I want to be a Pokemon trainer..

That morning I woke up with my suitcase already packed and a hundred thousand poke in my name thanks to my rich parents(a scientist and a doctor) who seem to have endless amounts of money. Today was the day I started my life. As I grabbed my suitcase and my pokenav(serves as ID for non-trainers) and I began walking down the stairs. I could already smell the scent of pancakes wafting up from the kitchen below.

"Good morning Cal", my mom said as I walked into the room.

"Good morning Lisa, good morning John", I said. My parents started having me call them by their first names a couple months ago, it was weird, but they said it would help to prepare me for the adult world. My dad nods back to me in acknowledgement while continuing to eat his pancakes. I sat down and was about to do the same, but before I could my mom asked me a question.

"So, have you thought anymore about which university you are going to go to? since you've been accepted to all three in the Kanto region." I slowly nodded my head. "Well, which one?"

"University of Kanto" I said. This received an approving nod from both of them since it was the highest rated compared to Kanto university and Cinnabar university.

"That's a very good choice", said my mother. I just nodded my head and continued eating my pancakes until there was none left. 'Well, this is it' I thought to myself. This is the last time that I will be home for a long time. I stood up and gathered my suitcase as my parents stood by the door, intent to see me start my journey to success in the world. As I walked out the door my father gave me one lat pat on the back.

"You'll do good son" he said and then they both waved there goodbyes as I stepped into the town car that was waiting and Closed the door. "To Viridian city" I said to the driver. I took one last glance at my old home in Pallet town as we drove away and wandered how long it would be until I could come back.

The ride was short, maybe only an hour or two using the car so I wasn't surprised when it was only noon and we already saw the outskirts of Viridian. Only a few minutes later the car had stopped outside the university. "How much for the drive?" I asked the driver.

"Already covered by a Dr. John Garrison" stated the driver. I just nodded and got my stuff out of the car. As soon as I had my suitcase the car drove away, probably to its next customer. I turned to look at the university. It was huge. It wasn't as big as the Silph Co. Building his mom worked at, but it was still at least eight stories tall. And had to cover an entire block of the city. He walked in through the sliding glass doors and over to the counter marked registration.

"Ah, Mr. Garrison, yes? Your mother called and said you would be here shortly." Said the girl behind the counter. "We here at the University are so happy that you have chosen us to help you further your education. We already have a room ready for you and your schedule set up to start classed next week when first semester officially begins. Until them you can enjoy complementary meals in the student cafeteria and go enjoy the city." When the girl had finished I wasn't certain what to say. She had covered pretty much everything that I could have asked about.

The girl was still looking at me from behind the counter and I realized she was waiting for me to say something back to her. "Um.. Thank you for the room and schedule" I said trying not to sound awkward.

"It's our pleasure", said the girl as she handed me the key to my dorm. "There's just one thing you should keep in mind in the dorms and that is that no Pokemon over rating 3 is aloud to be out inside the building."

"No worries", I said to her. "I don't even have any Pokemon." She just shrugged her shoulders and I went up to my room. It was on the second floor and overlooked the front of the building from its balcony. I didn't bother looking at my schedule since classes wouldn't start for another week and I'd probably forget it by then anyways. Instead I tucked the piece of paper into my suite case and and decided I'd go take a walk around the city after I washed up a little.

A/N I know it's really short, but wouldn't you rather have short chapters with updates every other day or even back to back instead of long ones that take two weeks to post? Me too. Second chapter is up.


	2. Chapter 2: an odd encounter

Chapter 2

I don't own Pokemon.

A/N here's chapter 2 already! Let's see where Cal will go in the city! Don't forget to review!

This room reminded me of a hotel room. One bed, a tv, and a cramped bathroom. I guess they have to have room for all their students and the classrooms I thought to myself. After I had washed my face and my hands I walked out of my room with only my pokenav and locked the door behind me. The reception girl waved by toe as I walked out the door and I politely waved back. The first thing I notice when I walked out the door is that the pokemart and Pokemon center were both right across the street from the university. I saw multiple trainers with their Pokemon training on the fields outside the center and took a moment to look at the Pokemon they had. On the first field there was a teen boy with a powerful looking Arcanine battling an equally powerful looking Machoke whose trainer was a man who looked in his twenties or so. They were relentlessly sending attacks back and forth and were obviously experienced trainers. The second field held two trainers who seemed to have just been starting their journey because they were battling with a Rattata and a Pigey, not Pokemon an experienced trainer would have on their team. After watching for a short period of time I decided to move on and see what else I could find in the large city. Aside from the many department stores there were food stores and other goods that travelers would buy on the way through the city. One place however caught my interest, a franchise called the game corner. I'd always liked watching people play cards and gamble, but I'd never been allowed to try it myself because I wasn't eighteen yet. Good thing I was now. I walked in and saw lights everywhere as people played slot machines and roulette. I walked up to the counter and said,"excuse me, I'm new here, do you think you could help me?" The lady gave me a smile before replying.

"In order to play any of the games you'll need a coin case and some coins, however since this is your first time here, I'll give you a coin case and 50 coins to start you out ok?" I quickly nodded and the woman handed me a case over the counter which contained my first fifty coins, just as the woman had said it would.

"Thank you", I said. The woman just nodded and I turned back to the casino. 'I'll try the slots' I said to myself. I took the machine in the far corner away from everyone else in the room and sat down. The label said 10 coins per game on the machine so I opened my case and inserted one of the five 10 coin pieces into the machine. I pulled the lever and watched as the wheel went round. I stopped the first wheel and I looked at the picture. 7! I got a seven! I stopped the second wheel and looked at that picture, 7! Only one more I said to my self! I stopped the third wheel and watched as the seven just passed and a Rattata landed on the arrow. "No!" I said a little to loudly, noted by the looks of the people a few machines down. I put in my next 10 coins and did the same thing the first two spins then waited on the third. This time I stopped the wheel fast, slamming the lever down. The seven was right where I needed it but it just barely went be low. End result, Rattata.. This happened to more times before I was nearly ready to curse the stupid machine for existing. On the fifth time I put my last ten coin piece in and cursed the stupid Rattata for even existing. I pulled the lever to start the machine and this time instead of starting to spin it made a weird clicking sound as the three wheels slowly moved round and there big R's were displayed. I didn't really know what this meant but I assumed it was a win because I heard what sounded like a coin hit the pay out tray at the bottom. I eagerly picked up the lone coin and stared at it confused. It just had a big red R on it like the ones shown on the machine. I was just about to walk up to the counter and ask about it when another boy about my age walked up to me.

"It looks like it's your lucky day",said the boy.

"Excuse me? Are you talking about this coin?" I asked as I held it out to him.

"Yes I am, and are you by any chance Cal? Of the Garrison family?" I slowly nodded, wondering how this boy knew my name and my family. "Good, then they didn't make a mistake."

"Come again?", I asked, clearly confused. The boy just smirked.

"Follow me", he said with an icy calm voice. I wasn't too sure about this but I followed him through the casino area and into what looked like a back hall way. We were walking when ahead I saw another boy our age wearing a black outfit come to attention and solute the boy I was following. I didn't focus on the oddness of it because I was already stiffening from the emblem on his shirt. It was a big red R. It was team rockets R, and the same one on the coin and on the machine. I didn't say anything but my thoughts were racing about what was about to happen to me when I saw the team rocket grunt hit something on the wall, a hidden button I presume, and a stairway opens up from the floor panel ahead of me. I gulp as he just jerks his head for me to follow him down the stairs and the rocket grunt follows us down. 'He's probably there to make sure that I don't escape' I think to my self, all rash thoughts out the window at this point as I continue following the boy through the under ground floor, not paying attention to the turns we make, just staying with the boy in front of me. After another minute of walking we come to what looks like an office door.

"Here we are", says the boy as he knocks on the door and I hear footsteps approaching the door. When the door opens my heart nearly stops then I do a double take at the man I see standing in the door way. It's a man I'd recognize anywhere. Giovanni, the famous Viridian gym leader.

When he sees me he speaks quickly but I can hear the strength in his voice,"It's a pleasure to finally meet you Cal, how do you like the game corner?"

A/N Who would've guessed that Giovanni had more than one game corner? And why is he interested in Cal? Find out next chapter.


	3. Chapter 3: the offer

Chapter 3

I don't own Pokemon.

A/N well, here's the third chapter, I hope you all like where it takes the story.

After Giovanni has spoken I'm still kind of shell shocked at what to do. Half of my brain is telling me to run, half is telling me to just stay and act calm, but the part of me that is controlling my actions right now is choosing to freeze up and do nothing.

"At a loss for words are we?" Giovanni said with a rumble that might have been considered as a laugh if it wasn't so deep. "Come inside Cal. Have a seat I wanted to speak with you." I still couldn't speak as my legs begrudgingly moved to follow him into his office. I took a seat it the small black chair while Giovanni took his own seat behind his desk. "Do you know why you're here Cal?", Giovanni asked me.

"N-no sir", I stuttered to get the words out while looking at the gym leader straight in the eyes.

"You have potential Cal, and you'll never be able to reach it if you stay coupes up in school your whole life, do you catch what I'm throwing at you?" He asked with a devious grin on his face. I honestly didn't know what he was getting at, what would a gym leader and team rocket want with me?

I spoke slowly, not sure how exactly to answer or if he expected me to know what it was he was talking about,"no sir, I'm not.. Exactly sure what you're saying."

He just gave another snicker before speaking to clarify, "I'm asking you to join team rocket Cal." I didn't know what to do when he asked this. What would happen if I joined them? Would I be arrested on sight? Would I be hunted down? Then I began to think of a good thing that might come of it.

"Would I get a Pokemon?" I asked cautiously, not knowing what his intentions of me 'joining' were.

His answer was rather quick and to the point,"of course, you'd start out as a grunt, but one who graduated at the top of their class could surely rise through the ranks of team rocket fast don't you agree?"

So I would get a Pokemon, but I'd be a grunt. I've never been at the bottom before, I've always been the best at things I do, given that most of those things are academic related subjects. I bit my bottom lip as I thought about the offer in my head. "What happens if I join?" I ask, curious about what would happen to my id and my money.

"If your talking about your college then you'll have to leave it", Giovanni said sternly.

"Actually I meant my id and my money and things", I said

"Ah, yes that is quite important now isn't it? You can bring your things and can have your money transferred over to a new account in team rocket, but as far as ID you would have to have a new one like the rest of the grunts", He replied.

"And my name?" I asked.

"What about it? It's still your name, it will just be different on your new ID. So what do you say? Are you ready to join team rocket?" He asked for the second time and I had a feeling he wouldn't ask again as this time his eyebrow was slightly raised and his jaw a little tighter than before.

I went over the consequences one last time in my head. Was being a Pokemon trainer worth joining team rocket? I hope so or else I'm about to make the biggest mistake of my life. "I'll do it.. I'll join team rocket.", the words seemed to fall out of my mouth rather than me actually saying them but it didn't matter now because they still held the same meaning.

Giovanni just grinned and leaned back in his chair. "I'm glad you see it my way Cal. You'll do good here. Now go and get your things", he told me,"meet the grunt that led you here by the same hallway that leads to the stairs in 1 hour. Is that clear?" I just gulped and nodded. "Good" he said,"we'll see you then".

As the same grunt lede out that led me in I took the opportunity to get a better look around, it looked like the entire base underground was reinforced with steel everywhere. A bomb probably wouldn't even do that much damage. When we got back up to the surface all the other boy said was,"see you in an hour grunt."

"See you then", I muttered as I walked out the front door of the game corner and started back toward the university. As I walked my mind drifted toward what type of Pokemon I would get, team rocket was notorious for poison types so I assume it will be one of them. I could work with a Zubat I think. That would eventually evolve into a Crobat and I know how effective their venom can be in battle. On the other hand I knew that they stole a lot of Pokemon too and that they might have some others besides poison types available if I was so lucky as to be able to choose what I was getting. Oh well, I guess I'll see in an hour. I checked the time on his pokenav for what might be the last time since I was going to have to get rid of it later today. It was 4:00pm that meant I had to be back at the game corner by 5:00pm and the university was a twenty minute walk each way so I didn't have too much time to get distracted or look around at other parts of the city. When I got back to the university I saw that the girl I met when I arrived had changed shifts with an older gentleman so I didn't even bother waving in my way in and over to the elevator. It was a quick stop since I hadn't actually unpacked any thing and I threw the now useless schedule away since I would no longer be needing it. When I had locked my dorm and was heading back over to the elevator I heard the sound of voices and stepped back to give the people coming up on the elevator room to get out. When the doors opened I recognized the young man that stepped out as the trainer that I had seen earlier battling fiercely with his Arcanine. When I looked at him up close I noticed that we both were about 6 ft tall with dark brown hair and brown eyes, I have him a polite nod as he strolled past me casually and he didn't even seem to notice that I had ever even given the gesture in the first place. I pushed it out of my mind and went back down the elevator and to the lobby, as I passed by the receptionists table I thought about checking out but decided against bringing attention to myself when I was planning on joining team rocket. I was back to the game corner in no time and met the grunt by the hidden staircase just like we'd planned.

"Welcome back grunt" he said, "I wasn't sure if you were going to come back after how stiff legged you were the hole time you were here.

I didn't say anything as he hit the button on the wall, and we began the decent to my new home, team rocket.

A/N that was a fun one to write, remember to leave your reviews! Good or bad I don't care! Just tell me what I'm doing and if I need to fix it till next chapter, this is Rocket-grunt007 signing off.


	4. Chapter 4: grunt status

I do not own Pokemon.

A/N Here's another chapter. Remember to review! I can't get better if you don't help me!

Chapter 4

I woke up some time the next day. I was exhausted from all the walking I had don and carrying that heavy suitcase. The grunt showed me where my room would be and as soon as he left I immediately laid down and fell asleep. Now it's the next morning and I have to go see Giovanni for my new ID. I grab my pokenav and walk down the metal hall to Giovanni's office door. It's open, so I just walk right in and see him sitting in his chair concentrating on the paperwork that is on his desk.

"G-good morning s-sir", I say with an unsure voice, not positive if I should have just walked in like I did.

He didn't seem to care,"morning grunt". It feels weird to hear him call me that. "Are you ready to get your new ID?" He asks.

"Yes sir", I say quickly, already pulling out my pokenav and handing it over. He takes it in one hand while the other reaches into a desk drawer and pulls out a medium sized black device.

"Is that a pokedex?", I ask, curious as to why he would have one.

"Of course, how else would the grunts identify the Pokemon from other regions". I wasn't sure if I should take that as an insult to my intelligence or not. I figured most of the recruits for team rocket were probably street raised and didn't have an education so I didn't take it personally.

"Now", he said,"I'm going to transfer over your funds to the new alias that has been set up for you on this pokedex and then you're going to go over to the handler grunt's room to receive your Pokemon". I didn't really care about the new alias because I knew it would help me avoid people if they were trying to find me when I would inevitably be reported missing. What I did care about was that in just a few minutes I would be getting my first Pokemon. I watched as Giovanni hooked the cable up that would transfer the money and then I took the pokedex from him when he handed it to me.

"The handler's room is further down on the left. It has a pokeball emblem on it so it's easy for grunts to find", he said with that same attitude that all the grunts in this place were complete morons. I nod in thanks and walk out the office with a grin on my face. The handlers room is almost at the end of the hall. When I opened the door, the sight that greeted me was a huge storage room with what must have been nearly a hundred Pokemon cages in it. There was everything from Rattata to even a Nidoking, I also noticed wires attached to the cages of the more powerful Pokemon that most likely carried electric currents to keep them from trying to escape.

As I was caught looking at all the Pokemon I failed to notice another man in a team rocket uniform walk up to me until he cleared his throat.

"Oh, sorry I didn't see you there", I apologize to the man.

"It's quite alright" he says. "I'm Jeff, team rockets handler for Viridian city. You must be that new grunt that they were talking about recruiting". I just nod as he looks me over, seemingly evaluating my appearance.

"I think I have just the Pokemon for you", he says as he grins. He moves to a back area behind some of the other cages so I can't see exactly what he's doing. He's only behind there for a second however, as he quickly reemerges from behind them holding in his hand a single pokeball. He hands it to me and I just stare at it in my hands, wondering what it could possibly be.

"Aren't you going to let it out?", he asks me.

"In here? Right now?" I ask.

"Nooo", his voice drips with sarcasm as he rolls his eyes at me and my face reddens a little as I realize what a stupid question that was for me to ask. I fumble with the ball for just a moment before I press the button and a red beam shoots out and forms into a small creature in front of me.

"Are you serious?", I ask. "You're giving me a freaking Rattata?"

"Deadly serious" he says. "You want a better Pokemon then go do your job and steal one." I just groan as he says this and he snickers at me before telling me to go back to my room. I comply and leave after recalling the little mouse Pokemon and a few more bickers of how worthless it is. The short walk back to my room is a bitter one and I wonder if Rattata is what all grunts start with. I turn into the room that has the beds in it and find the same grunt that first brought me here laying out a crisp black uniform and a small box onto my bed.

"Hey there Cal, we never officially met, my name's Derek." He says as he extends his arm for a handshake. I accept it and notice how much firmer his handshake is than mine.

"Oh, hey" I say awkwardly. "Is that my new uniform?"

"Yep, and here is a box with some pokeballs and an earpiece radio to keep in touch with rocket headquarters."

"Thanks, I guess..", I wonder if they plan on sending me out on a mission to steal something soon. I don't think I've ever stolen something before, I've always been the good kid with good grades. I'm kind of looking forward to doing something a little more 'exciting' in my life, but I'm also a little scared too.

"So, Derek", I say. "What was it like on your first mission?" He seems to give this some thought before giving me an answer.

"Well, to be honest, I think I was scared as heck when they sent only ten of us against a kid with a dragonair and all I had was the Rattata that they had just given me", he pauses to stifle a laugh, "needless to say it was a complete failure and we each got cut a weeks pay. That reminds me, your pay will be automatically put into your account each week or whenever you do something the boss really likes."

"What does the boss really like?" I ask.

"Well in this case, a dragonair", we both share a grin at the joke before he starts talking again.

"Anyways, I just came down here to deliver your uniform and equipment so I'll see you around" he says as he walks back out of the room, leaving me alone to examine my new uniform. It's an all black long sleeve shirt, pants and hat, paired with silver gloves, boots and a belt. Inside the box, there is five pokeballs, an earpiece radio, and a folded piece of paper. Derek didn't mention anything about a note so my curiosity spikes as I grab and unfold it.

'Cal, during your time on team rocket, I believe that, through lying, cheating and stealing, you have the potential to do great things in this world. Also, your first mission will be given to you tomorrow so I suggest that you prepare.'-Giovanni

I must say that I'm a little surprised that he's sending me out on only my second full day, but I guess that it works as some kind of test for new recruits. I look around at all the empty beds in the room and wonder where the rest of the grunts are, so far the only two I've seen are Derek and the guard to the entrance. Well I better change, I think as I grab my uniform and move into the bathroom. When I come back with it on I feel a little different. It's as if now that I've put on the uniform it's actually official that I'm a criminal. I hope it won't be as hard as I think it's going to be.

A/N How was that? Next chapter is going to be a bit of an interlude, but the chapter after that we'll see what that first mission is. Remember to review and tell me what you like and what you don't!


	5. Chapter 5: interlude

A/N here's that interlude I talked about, enjoy. And remember to review!

Written from the third person.

Giovanni looks at the screen and smiles.

"Ah, Executive James. Tell me, how is your end of project Garrison going?" Giovanni asks the man wearing the white team rocket uniform on the screen.

"It is going very well sir", the executive replies, "we were able to use the DNA taken from the boy's hair to reconstruct a false retina scan that allowed one of our scientists to infiltrate the Silph Co. Lab."

"Excellent", Giovanni says, clearly pleased."Did you succeed in altering the work records to make him appear as a transfer from the Devon lab in Hoen like I asked?"

"Yes sir, all objectives for this week have been completed."

"Very well", Giovanni says. "Keep up the good work James, I'm already adding a pay bonus to your stipend this week."

"Thank you sir", James replies calmly, seeming to have already expected this.

"Keep me updated on the file as we continue to progress." Giovanni says.

"Yes sir", the executive says as he solutes. Giovanni shuts off the screen and returns to his paperwork on his desk.

A/N it's super short but that's what the interludes are like. What is this project Garrison? And how will it affect Cal in the future? Review and wait for my next chapter to find out.


	6. Chapter 6: a walk in the forest

A/N hey everyone! Welcome back for another chapter! Read and review! And thank you megatyphlosion for the tip, I'll be sure to do that.

After securing Rattata's pokeball to my belt along with the five empty ones, I put my pokedex in one of the many pockets in the uniforms cargo pants. Since I'm going on my first mission tomorrow I figure that I should go try to train the little Rattata and try to catch a new Pokemon if I can. I'm not sure how people in the city will react to seeing me walk around in my team rocket uniform so I go over to my suitcase and pull out my black trench coat. It fits nicely over the uniform and it even matches. I take one last look at myself before exiting the room and walking to where the hidden staircase is. I press the button on the wall and watch the ceiling panel above me slide open to reveal the now familiar hallway of the game corner. When I walk up the stairs I nod my hello to the guard grunt and he closes the panel as soon as I'm clear of it. Now it's time for me to go train a little. It probably takes me half an hour to walk to the city's outskirts where the forest begins. I chose Viridian forest because I know the bug Pokemon should be easy to handle as long as I avoid the more powerful and territorial Pokemon that live deeper into the forest. Before I enter the forest however, I decide to scan Rattata with my pokedex to see his level and what moves he knows. When I let him out of his pokeball he pauses for a second to look at me before crawling up my body to perch on my shoulder. I laugh at the antics of the little mouse.

"Hey there little guy", I say as I pull out my pokedex and struggle to aim the scanner at him while he's on my shoulder. I hear a beep when the scan finally complete tea and look at what the screen has to say

Pokemon: Rattata

Lv: 5

Gender:male

Moves: tail whip, tackle

I'm a little disappointed with the information, but there's really nothing that I can do until he either levels up some or I catch another Pokemon. I sigh as I put the pokedex back in my pocket and then offer my hand to the little mouse. He sniffs it before rubbing his head up against it, trying to get me to scratch him. I just chuckle as I scratch him behind his ears and he wags his tail.

"Alright, time to go train", I say to him. He gives his head a confused tilt and it's obvious that he doesn't completely understand me, if at all. I just give another sigh as I start to walk into the forrest. I'm about 50 meters in when I see a Caterpie in the middle of a small clearing. 'Perfect' I think to myself. I turn my head to look at Rattata and point to the Caterpie in the clearing. This time he seems to get the message because he gives a determined little nod before jumping off my shoulder and into the clearing. The Caterpie must have notice us at this point because it brought its head up and started to shoot a string shot attack at Rattata.

"Rattata dodge it then use tackle!" I shout. Rattata jumps out of the way of the incoming string shot and then charges into the Caterpie knocking it onto it's back.

"Quick! Use tackle again before it can get up", I tell him. Rattata again runs into the Caterpie and knocks it into the brush beside the clearing. This time it's not coming back though as that last attack knocked it out.

"Good job Rattata!" I say as he bounds back to me and crawls back up to his perch on my shoulder. It doesn't take long to find the next Pokemon, only a couple more minutes of walking around when I hear something scuffling around in the bushes ahead. I let Rattata know and he gets ready to pounce. The Pokemon that comes out of the bush is a yellow rodent with brown stripes on it's back.

"It's a Pikachu", I say out loud, more to myself than anything. It's ears perk up as It hears the sound of my voice. When it turns toward us I can see sparks already forming over the electric pouches on its cheeks.

"Go get him Rattata", I say and Rattata jumps off my shoulder, ready to battle the other mouse Pokemon. I make the first move this time.

"Rattata use tail whip", I call. Rattata quickly complies by leaping into the air and twisting his body around, catching the Pikachu off guard as his tail hits it and lowers it's defense. The Pikachu recovers quickly though and sends back a thunder shock attack that is to fast fast to have had Rattata dodge it, so the attack scores a direct hit. Rattata seemed to take quite a bit of damage from that and I realized that the Pikachu must be a higher level than him. I'm hoping that me lowering his defense in the beginning could still give me an edge in the battle though.

"Use tackle!" I call out. Rattata is weak but still throws himself at the Pikachu, they both end up rolling back a couple feet entangled with each other.

"Tail whip the get back!" Rattata struggles to get away from the Pikachu before he whips it with his tail again, further lowering it's defense, but when it tries to get back further, he cringes as a wave of electricity washes over his body. Paralyzed. I groan and tell it to try to do another tackle but it remains in place as more miniature bolts of electricity again wash over his body. The wild Pikachu then bowls straight into Rattata with his own tackle. I'm almost certain that it is going to knock Rattata out, but I'm pleasantly surprised to see him struggle a little bit before standing back up.

"Try tackle one last time", I shout. This time the electric waves don't come and Rattata hits Pikachu with a weak tackle that does more thanks to Pikachu's defense being lowered. It's not knocked out but I can see that it's definitely tired so I pull one on the empty pokeballs off of my belt and throw it. The ball hits it center mass and sucks the Pikachu inside before landing on the ground and starting to shake wildly. I think it's going to break out but after a few more seconds the ball stops shaking and dings.

"Yes! I caught a Pikachu!" I shout out. Rattata gives me a funny look before slowly crawling back over to me and I actually have to pick him up to put him back on my shoulder.

"You did good buddy", I say as I scratch him behind the ears. He wags his tail a bit more and then I pick the pokeball now containing Pikachu and start the walk back to the city and to the Pokemon center.

A/N what do you think of this one? I won't know unless you review, so please do. Stay tuned for next chapter. Also I've decided not to give Pokemon nicknames because it makes it to difficult for readers trying to track different stories to keep up with the Pokemon. If anyone is offended by this for some reason then feel free to leave a review expressing your concerns.


	7. Chapter 7 walking around

I don't own Pokemon

Thank you to Veseer-Vivian and Miss No-Nonsense for your reviews, I'm glad to see you like the story!

A/N Wow, chapter 7 already. I hope the updates are quick enough for those of you that enjoy this story. You know how to tell me if you enjoy it..

It was a long walk back to the Pokemon center, but I wasn't in a real hurry so I just enjoyed the stroll. When the university building came into view, I wasn't that worried. Classes still wouldn't start for about 5 days, so I won't have to worry about anyone looking for me for quite a while. I wonder what my parents would think if they knew what I was doing with my life. I hope they won't have to find out for a long time. Maybe they'll just accept the story that I went missing and that will be the end of it. Probably not, but I can hope can't i? The center is right across the street and I'm greeted as I walk in by the nurse joy working at the counter.

"Good afternoon sir", she chimes in a cheery voice. Is it already the afternoon? I check my pokedex and, sure enough, it's already 2:00pm. I must have been out and about longer than I originally thought. I walk up to the counter and hand the nurse my two pokeballs after recalling Rattata and my pokedex.

"Your Pokemon will be healed in just a few minutes Mr. Smith", she tells me.

"Mr. Smith?", I reply, sincerely confused at the name.

"Oh, I'm sorry", she looks down at the monitor again and then back up at me.

"Do you prefer John over your last name?" Again I have a confused look on my face as I rack my brain as to why the pokedex would say the name John Smith in my eyes widen as I realize that I had forgotten to look at my new identity after Giovanni gave it to me. I try to salvage the conversation so as not to seem too suspicious to the nurse.

"Um, yes actually. I do, I think of my- uh- father as Mr- Smith", I stumble with my words as I try to think of some lie to cover up my ignorance. She doesn't even blink.

"Okay then John, your Pokemon will be with you shortly", nurse Joy says with that same smile. She seems to have accepted the poorly assembled lie, and she takes my Pokemon into the back room so that they may be healed.

"Stupid stupid stupid", I scold myself quietly. I can't believe I forgot to check and see what my false name would be. I guess that's why I'm a grunt. Now I just have to sit in the lobby of the center until my Pokemon are ready. The wait isn't long. I see a couple other trainers walk in and hand their Pokemon over to the nurse. Other than that nothing else really happened except that I found out that there's a spot on my belt where I can clip my pokedex to it. Pretty soon I hear the nurse call for John from the counter, and I make my way back up to the counter.

"Your Pokemon are all good to go John", the nurse says with a smile as she hands me back the two pokeballs and pokedex. I clip all three to my belt and nod my thanks before turning to walk out the center. As I start to walk toward the exit, the door opens and another trainer walks in. I recognize him immediately as the same trainer with the Arcanine that goes to the university.

"Haven't seen you around lately, decide to drop out?", he says in what I think is a sneer.

"No", I lie, "I just don't feel the need to stay there all the time."

"I'm sure", he says with a snicker. I'm about ready to just hit him when I hear a voice in my ear from my earpiece.

"Attention. Grunt Cal return to base for briefing on tomorrow's mission. I repeat, grunt Cal return to base for briefing on tomorrow's mission."

"I gotta go", I tell to the other trainer.

"Sure ya do", he says with a grin that I just wanna smack off his face. But instead I choose to ignore the comment and walk out of the Pokemon center. The base is still about twenty minutes away walking but I stop on the training field to scan my newly obtained Pikachu before I go. I let Rattata out of his pokeball first incase the Pikachu decides it wants to attack me and he takes his place up on my shoulder. When I let the Pikachu out however it doesn't attack, it just sits down and scratches behind its ear with its rear paw. I take the opportunity to take the pokedex off my side and scan it.

Pokemon: Pikachu

LV: 7

Gender: male

Attacks: tackle, tail whip, thunder shock, growl.

Well, I was right to say it was a higher level than Rattata. Who, even though had leveled up, was still only level 6. I put my gloved hand out, thankful since I knew from my studies in high school that these Pokemon had the ability static, to see if he would let me touch him yet, but a growl and a sparking of his cheeks put that idea to bed very quickly. I sigh and return both of the mice Pokemon to there respective pokeballs and reattach the pokedex to my belt. On the way back to the base I also stop by one of the trainer goods stores, and buy one of those compact backpacks that uses the same technology as pokeballs to shrink down objects so that you can carry a lot inside of it without all the weight, and I also buy a few bags of Pokemon food so I can feed my Pokemon. The rest of the walk to the base only takes about ten minutes. When I arrive I see all the people on the machines that are slowly but surely losing their money, and those that do win the big prides are rumored to be hired workers from the corner itself. The people don't seem to care though and they just keep gambling their money away. I smile as I make my way back to staircase where that same grunt is waiting.

"Why is it only you that guards the door?", I ask. I've been thinking about it for awhile and it seems like this guy is here 24-7. He doesn't answer my question though and just gives a shrug as he opens the stairwell. I narrow my eyes at him but say nothing else as I descend into the base. I stop to drop my stuff off at my bed before I go see Giovanni. I put the bags of food in the small dresser next to my bed and just set the backpack on top of it. When I enter Giovanni's office he is sitting back in his chair waiting for me.

"You took longer than expected getting back here Garrison" he says.

"Sorry sir, I was at the Pokemon center when the call came in and made a couple stops on the way back", I reply, giving an excuse for my tardiness.

"I don't want an excuse, I want you back faster next time."he says.

"Yes sir", I say.

"Good. Now, I've noticed that you've obtained another Pokemon", he says while motioning to the two semi-enlarged pokeballs on my belt.

"Yes sir."

"Now, since your not technically a registered trainer, you don't have an enforced limit of the amount of Pokemon you can carry", he explains.

"So I can take as many as I want?" I ask.

"Yes and no. You can carry more than six, but once you have an excessive amount I require you to hand over the ones that you can no longer use- 'effectively', so they can be reassigned or sold", he tells me.

"I understand sir", I say with a bow of my head. It made sense, after all, why carry around a Pokemon you can't use?

"Good. Now, on to why you are here. You've probably noticed the absence of all but a few grunts, have you not?", he pauses for a second to allow me to reply. I just nod my head and he continues.

"Well, they are all working on an operation over in Mount Moon"

A/N Well, there it is, the end to chapter seven. What exactly is going on over in mount moon? Most of you can probably guess. Remember to review and tell me if you like it or not, otherwise I'll never know. This is Rocket-grunt007 signing off until next chapter


	8. Chapter 8 preparing for a mission

I don't own Pokemon

A/N: chapter 8 is here!

"What's going on at Mount moon?" I ask.

"You know what moonstones are, correct?" He asks me.

"Of course sir, they are incredibly rare and are found to invoke the evolution of several different kinds of Pokemon", I say, remembering a high school class on the special properties of many evolution stones.

"Impressive, I must say I didn't expect you to know that information since most grunts don't. The individual moon stones however, aren't what we're looking for over in Mount moon right now", he says.

"Then what are we looking for?", I ask?

" 'The' moonstone", he says

" 'The' moonstone?" I clarify on what I just heard.

"Yes, my researchers uncovered the legends written down on stone scriptures that speak of ancient tribes worshipping a giant stone by mimicking the rituals of the Clefairy that were said to have appeared from inside of it when it fell from the sky as a meteor. They believe that it is not just any stone that these Clefairy were worshipping, but actually a giant moonstone that Is capable of providing evolution for Pokemon such as Clefairy an unlimited number of times. If such a stone actually exists, then it would be worth a very large amount of money and I would like to have it under my control. Do you understand what I'm saying?" He asks me.

"Yes sir", I say. As far as I understand, there's a giant moonstone somewhere in Mount Moon, and he wants it.

"Good. Your mission, starting tomorrow, will be to travel by foot over to Mount Moon and, once you get there, join the grunts currently working there in order to aid them in their search to find the moonstone."he said.

"But won't it take days to travel through Viridian forest?" I asked, shocked at how he would expect me to get through the forest in a day and travel all that distance.

"I do realize that, I'm not stupid. I didn't say you had to be there tomorrow, I said you had to start the journey walking over there tomorrow." He clarifies for me. Thank Arceus, I say to myself in relief.

"However, that doesn't mean that you can take your merry time getting over there", he states, his eyes narrowing at me as if I might try to slack off.

"How long do I have sir?" I ask, wanting to know how fast I'd have to be going in order to get there in time.

"Four days, which should be about the time that they need to finish the drilling to the inner cave systems anyways. From there, you will be searching the interior cave systems for any signs of the moonstone, is that understood?" He says.

"Yes sir", I say back.

"Good. Now get out of my office. I have other things that I have to attend to right now", he tells me.

"Yes sir", I say again. I turn and quickly walk out of his office, not wanting to linger for too long and make him mad at me for not following orders fast enough. It's about 4 o'clock in the afternoon/evening now so I don't have too much longer to get my supplies ready if I want to get a good rest and an early start tomorrow morning. I return to the bedroom first and grab my backpack. I'm off to the pokemart. I give a scowl to the guard grunt and he just shrugs again as I walk past and he closes the panel to the stairs behind me. It only takes me about 15 minutes to get to the pokemart at the brisk pace I'm walking at. When I walk in, I look around at all of the items they have for sale and decide that I should get a lot since I'm heading through the forest. First stop, potions. I grab 20 of those for 200 poke a pop. So far I'll already be spending 4,000. But that's fine since I still have about 95,000 left in my account after buying this expensive back pack and all that Pokemon food. Next stop is the area of special potions that heal various status effects such as poisoning and burns. I want to get a variety, but I see that it would be cheaper just to get a bunch of full heals. I get 25 and throw then in my cart. At 500 a pop, that's another 12,500. It may be expensive, but I'd rather be safe than sorry in a place that is packed with Pokemon that can all use various status afflicting attacks. The next thing I pick up is actually in anticipation for me going into Mount Moon. It's two escape ropes. I don't know why they're called that since it's actually just a one use warp panel that can teleport you to the nearest tunnel entrance. Maybe it's a marketing ploy? Anyways, that's another 1200 for the two of them. My final stop in the store is the pokeball counter. On sale they have pokeballs for 300, and greatballs for 600 a pop. I grab 21 pokeballs to bring me to a total of twenty five in my bag, and then I grab 25 great balls. I know this is going to cost a lot, I just don't know how much. I make my way to the counter and the clerk starts ringing it all up, placing it in my bag as he goes. I watch in wonder as every item he puts in there shrinks down to make room for more. When he finishes, my bag only looks a quarter of a way full, but I'm not going to question the same technology that can make a Wailord fit in a pokeball and only weigh a pound. The clerk looks at the price of the items and raises an eyebrow at me.

"The total for these items is 39,000 poke", says the clerk in a dead pan tone. I look at him and am amazed at just how high the price is.

"Just how do you plan to pay for all this?" He asks me with a voice that seems disbelieving. I have a smug look on my face as I hand him my pokedex.

"In full", I say in the same dead pan voice that he used on me. I try not to laugh at the look on his face when he connects his computer to my pokedex to open my account and sees the amount of money in it. After he takes the money I owe out and transfers it to the store, he looks at me and gives me the remaining balance.

"You have- uh, 56,000 poke left in your account." He says as he hand me back my pokedex and I clip it back onto my belt. He still has that dumbfounded expression on his face as I simply thank him and walk out the store with my bag full if all my new items. When I get outside I look over and see a young trainer trying to train his Rattata.

"Hey", I call to him. Once he looks over to me I continue.

"How about a battle?" I say.

"You're on! How about two on two?" He asks me. I hesitate before answering because I'm not sure how Pikachu will act or if he will listen to me. I decide I might as well try.

"Sure thing", I say as I enlarge Rattata's ball and send him out. When he appears, he looks around him confused as to where he is at the moment but quickly gets into a battle stance when he notices the other Rattata already tensed and ready for battle.

"Tail whip! And then use tackle when your up close", I call out. Rattata obeys and starts sprinting toward the other Pokemon.

"Dodge it, and then tackle it from the side!" The other trainer calls out right as Rattata's tail whip is about to hit. Surprisingly, the other Rattata is able to dodge the tail whip and then both of them use tackle, landing direct hits as their heads collide and they both get knocked back a foot.

"Use tackle again!" I call.

"You too!" Calls the other trainer. We could be here all day at this rate, I think as the two collide and again get knocked back. I need to think of a way to turn the tables.

"Do it again Rattata!" The other trainer calls. I think I see how I can gain the upper hand. When the other Rattata is really close I call out my plan.

"Use tail whip to knock it to the side, then tackle it while it's defense is down", I call. It works out perfectly. The tail whip Rattata uses knocks the other one off balance which stops the tackle, and then he barrels into it, knocking it onto it's back and exposing its soft belly.

"Quick Rattata, tackle it again", I call.

"Get up and dodge it!" Says the other trainer. It's useless though. His Rattata is to slow to get up and takes another direct hit to its side. This time when it's knocked to the ground it has swirls for eyes and the other trainer has to recall it.

"You got lucky that time, my next Pokemon won't be so easy to defeat!", he calls as he throws another pokeball and his second and last Pokemon appears from it. The red beam forms into a small bird Pokemon with ruffles in its feathers that make it look angry. A Spearow, I think. It has the advantage against Rattata by being able to fly.

"Use peck!", he calls.

"Rattata, dodge and use tackle!", I counter. Rattata's too slow however, and the Spearow flys right into it with its peck attack powered up with the momentum from flying. Rattata's knocked out immediately and I sigh as I recall him. Now it's time to see what this Pikachu will do with me commanding.

"Go Pikachu!" I call as I throw the pokeball and he bursts out onto the field. He looks around a little like Rattata did before honing in on the Spearow. Oh thank Arceus, I think. He might actually listen to me.

"Spearow, use peck!" The other trainer calls, not discouraged at all by the type advantage I have against him.

"Pikachu, use thunder shock!" I call. Pikachu just looks at me for I second and I begin to think that he's not going to listen to me after all. He only makes his move when the Spearow is nearly a foot away, sending a powerful thunder shock directly into its face. The Spearow cries out in pain and protest as the electricity is sent coursing through it's body. It can't complete it's attack as it's wings give out and it crashes into the ground with swirls for eyes.

"Yeah, I win!" I call over to him. I recall Pikachu after congratulating him and wait for the kid to come pay me for winning. He looks nervous when he walks over to give me my prize money that I just won.

"Um, I- uh, don't have any money to give you", he says as he looks down at the ground.

"What!" I shout, feeling cheated by the kid after winning my first trainer battle.

"I- I'm sorry", the kid says as tears begin to form in his eyes.

"Beat it kid", I say as I grind my teeth together. He quickly obliges as he runs over into the Pokemon center. I try to just put it out of my mind as I start walking back towards base. I only make one stop on the way back, and it's to buy a case of travel food that's a popular item for traveling trainers since it doesn't expire for a very long time. It's kind of like oat meal but it doesn't need water to be edible. After that, I finish the walk over to the base and I check the time once I'm back in the bedroom area, 6:00. Time for dinner, I think. I go over to the base kitchen, which is next door to the bedroom area and make myself dinner. Before I eat, I take two bowls and fill them with Pokemon food for my two Pokemon. When I let them out of their balls they both almost immediately start eating and I take the opportunity to bond with Pikachu. This time he doesn't growl as I put my hand out and I scratch him behind the ears. Maybe battling made him earn some respect for me? After we all three finish eating I clean the three bowls and decide to put them in my pack along with a few more from the shelf, they'll come in handy on the road and we have enough in the kitchen that they won't be missed. I recall Pikachu and walk back to my bedroom with Rattata back up on my shoulder in his claimed spot. When I get to my bed I strip down and put on my pajamas and quickly fall asleep to the sounds of the people gambling in the game corner up stairs above me.

A/N I hope you liked the chapter! Next chapter will be some more interlude with Giovanni and Derek this time so stay tuned. Pleas review if you like it! Or if you don't, I'm not picky haha.


	9. Chapter 9: interlude

I don't own Pokemon

A/N sorry that I haven't updated for a while, I had some family issues that I had to take care of.. Anyways, here's chapter 9.

-written in third person-

In Giovanni's office:

"You called me in here sir", Derek stated as he walks into Giovanni's office.

"Yes, I have a very important mission for you. Take a seat", Giovanni says while sitting more upward in his chair and placing his hands on his desk.

"I'm up for anything sir", Derek replies as he sits in the chair across from Giovanni.

"I certainly hope so. You know the newest recruit Cal, correct?", Giovanni asks.

"Yes sir", Derek answers.

"He will be heading over to Mount Moon tomorrow and I need you to make sure he gets there in one piece", Giovanni says.

"May I ask why his safety is so important sir?" Derek asks.

"No, but know this. If he doesn't get there alive then my plans will be hindered and I'll have your head for failing me, is that understood?"Giovanni says.

"Yes sir", Derek says with a waver in his voice, showing his fear of the team rocket leader.

"Good. Now, as far as I'm aware you do not have your own Pokemon as you mainly serve for in base chores, is that right?" Giovanni asks.

"I do not have my own Pokemon sir, that is correct", Derek says.

"I want you to take this then", Giovanni says as he reaches into his desk and then pulls out a shrunken ultra ball.

"What is inside that sir?" Derek asks, the curiosity in his voice and his body language obvious as he leans forward off his chair and toward the table.

"It is the prize Kangashan from my gym. It will serve well as protection against any wild or trained Pokemon that may attack you on your journey", says Giovanni.

"Why me sir?"Derek asks as he takes the ball from Giovanni's outstretched hand.

"You're the only one here that Cal knows, and he'll be more likely to trust you. Now go get some rest and make sure you find him before he leaves and tell him that you will be accompanying him on his mission." Giovanni says.

"Yes sir", Derek says one final time as he pockets the ultra ball and walks out of Giovanni's office.

A/N it's short, but that's what interlude is. If you have any questions or suggestions please leave a review voicing them, all will be answered in some form even if it's just a hint, in until next chapter, this is Rocket-grunt007 signing off


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